Screenshot from YouTube video “الأكلات الموريتانية.. تنوع غذائي ينفتحُ على مطاب الجوار” on the Alaraby YouTube channel. Fair use.
This article by Ahmed Jedou, a Mauritanian blogger and activist , was first published in Arabic by Raseef 22 * on March 17, 2025. This edited version was translated into English and published on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Every year, Mauritanians await the month of Ramadan and the iftar meals that break their daily fasts at sundown. However, in recent years, the Mauritanian Ramadan table has witnessed changes, resulting in an increased variety of dishes, both quantitatively and qualitatively, with numerous influences, including Maghrebi and Levantine cuisines.
From medhaq to batbout
In the past, medhaq, zrik, or shenin, that refreshing drink, was the star of the Ramadan table, quenching the thirst of those fasting with its sweet and sour flavor. Made from yogurt mixed with water to which sugar is added, it can be thick or thin, depending on preference. It is also prepared by mixing milk with water, accompanied by dates as a natural dessert.
Also, there is nasha or sakhina, a nourishing soup that warms the body after a long day of fasting. Nasha is a soup made from millet, corn, sorghum, wheat, or barley, and is drunk plain or with milk. Three cups of tea were and still are a sacred ritual, punctuated by moments of contemplation and tranquility.
Next comes the meat atajin (tagine), the king of the table. Sometimes it's tender meat, other times it'stishtar and wadak. Tishtar is dried meat that carries the scent of the desert. It's dried by placing it on a rope and leaving it for days until it's completely dry. Then it's placed in a leather container. It may be ground into qadeed (dried meat), ready to eat. Wadak (oil) from the camel's hump is usually served with tishtar, along with other dishes, of course.
The atajine has diversified over time. Today, there are chicken and fish tagines, as well as the famous banafa dish, which consists of meat, potatoes, and onions. Banafa is served with French baguette bread.Felka is also served with camel rump meat, which is typically cooked with onions and a little salt. It is usually cooked without water because it cooks quickly and is served with French bread.
After atajine, comes the local couscous dish, which is served with meat and vegetables, or the traditional rice dish, which consists of meat and vegetables, chicken, or fish.
Openness to other cuisines
Recent years have witnessed a greater diversity in the local cuisine, with the influx of sweets, pastries, and some stuffed dishes, from the Maghreb, the Levant, and elsewhere. These include batbout, sambousek, pies, potato casserole, crepes, honeycomb, croquettes, andchebakia, although the latter arrived earlier than the others.
Likewise, Moroccan harira soup has taken its place on the Mauritanian Ramadan table. As has soub, a vegetable and meat soup. Furthermore, various juices are now prepared for Mauritanian iftar, alongside traditional drinks, including hibiscus, known locally as bissam, andtajmakht, a drink made from the fruit of the baobab tree.
This change may have occurred as a result of openness to other Arab and African peoples online on social media, and through YouTube channels or via satellite channels — the Ramadan table has become a fertile ground for such influences.
Initially, these new pastries, sweets, dishes, and juices were found in Maghrebi and Levantine restaurants, bakeries, and specialized shops. However, Mauritanians are increasingly preparing them in their homes as part of their meals and shared proudly on social media.
Challenges of health diversity
Mauritanian nutrition expert Arabiya Sidi Ibrahim Ahna tells Raseef22, “We always say in nutrition science that the closer the food we eat is to nature, free of processing and preservatives, the better it is. And if the body doesn't benefit from it, it won't be harmful.”
She notes that “the ancient Mauritanian iftar consisted of dates, starch, and a drink called zrig, which is made from the milk of camels, goats, or cows owned by the family. Butter was also made from this milk and eaten with the dates, together with starch made from traditional crops such as barley, wheat, or corn.” Ahna explains that it was a typical and ideal breakfast according to nutritional standards. as the fasting person obtained sugars from the dates, fats from the butter, and carbohydrates from the starch. “After that, they ate meat, which contained proteins. It was ideal food from a health perspective,” she adds.
While emphasizing the influence of Levantine and Maghrebi cuisine and the importance of diversifying cuisine, she cautions, “Since our cuisine is not rich and is limited to meat, couscous, and rice, while salads are absent, I have reservations about the influence of other cuisines.”
She explains:
Our experience with other cuisines could have been better, by importing healthy and beneficial meals, those that rely more on salads and vegetables, rather than fried and fatty meals full of fat, maintaining the same level of health that has distinguished us. We imported batbout, for example, and crepes, which are pastries made from the simplest carbohydrates that are best avoided as much as possible.
Very important deficiencies
Taking a deeper look at the Mauritanian Ramadan table between past and present, between abundance and scarcity, and the impact of food on people's health, Ahna emphasizes:
The deficiencies in the Mauritanian table lie primarily in the lack of vitamins and minerals, with a relatively good presence of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. As a specialist, I rarely prescribe a vitamin and mineral test for someone without the results indicating a significant deficiency, especially vitamin D.
She explains that the problem is often in the cocktail of other vitamins that aid in vitamin D absorption. “It is an interconnected chain, and the absence of one affects the others,” Ahna adds.
For Ahna, the primary problem is the lack of a culture of healthy nutrition across all social strata. “No one pays attention to it, even though it is an important cornerstone. There is a need for concerted efforts to raise awareness about the importance of healthy nutrition and to disseminate the culture of healthy nutrition by the state and its institutions.”
She recommends incorporating fruits and vegetables into the Mauritanian daily diet, as well as unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, nuts, peanuts, and others.
The ideal approach, she believes, is to rely on the fruits grown in their own soil, “The fruits grown in your soil contain the vitamins and minerals you need. When a person eats one of the seasonal fruits available in Mauritania every day, they get what they need.”